Hello and welcome to the 69th episode of The Spark & The Art creativity podcast. Thank you for subscribing to our weekly podcast where we alternate between interviews with creative folks from all different career levels and insight and inspiration episodes. All with the intention you’ll get what you need to get your creative projects started and, more importantly, finished.

I’m your host Tucker and this week is a little different than usual. As I've recently atarted the official @sparkartpodcast twitter account I thought I'd give an update on the podcast and the new twitter account.

As I explain in the first episode The Spark & The Art podcast took a bit to get going - about a year from idea to first episode being live. From conversations on and off the podcast I've learned this is a pretty common thing. I talked to a cupcake shop owner recently and she said it took about three years from deciding to open a bakery to actually having an open store. One of the podcasts that inspired me to start this podcast is The Nerdist. The host, Chris Hardwick, has mentioned in a few episodes that it took him about a year and a half from deciding to make a podcast to having the show in iTunes.

In order for me to actually start the podcast I had to create some simple rules. For example: The interviews are for me and the podcast is for you. I'm really enjoying all the conversations I'm having with the authors, filmmakers, animators, game designers, UX Designers, creativity coaches, photographers. Whether they are indie, within a studio system or amateurs just starting out I learn something from every conversation and I hope you get something out of eavesdropping. That said, if there is anything that would make the podcast a little better for you let me know and I'll try and address it.

The other rule I put in place was I would do small series of shows but although it was meant to be a rule to help simplify things It actually turned out to more work than it was worth so now I just talk to whomever I want whenever they are available.

As I mention at the top of this episode I've recently started the @sparkartpodcast twitter account as the official account of the show. I've met some awesome people there in the short time I've been doing it. Every person who follows me I ask a question about their creative projects or process based on their feeds and twitter bio. It's amazing how open and friendly people are when you are genuinely interested in what they do. I've had more than one person thank me for my interest. Which I find odd because I'd assume everyone would be sick of answering simple initial questions about their projects. But when I think about it most people in twitter are out to be heard so they aren’t really listening. So, when someone comes along and not only listens but actively initiates conversation ... that would seem different I guess.

So far I've met a film maker @Remote_Station who is making a political thriller called False Colors basically on their own. No kidding, wroting, directing, shot most of the footage, did catering ... the list was pretty long. I've met some super helpful creativity coaches one @CarolOmer who, when I asked what the biggest problem her clients need help with she said “It is often working women and the thing they are seeking is ‘permission' to give themselves the time.” Also, a musician (I’m totally going to both the pronunciation of this) @BlochEyot who has a passion for barges and who makes, what I would describe as, wonderful dream influenced folk music. And he plays the saw. So fun. That's just a few of the awesome people I've met.

All the advice I ever hear in marketing is niche niche niche. This podcast and it's guests should be Horror Movie Directors in the Found Footage genre. That is a very specific niche. I would then only talk to them and build an audience of people who were fans of that genre. Or indie game devs who make iOS games in Unity. But the problem is I'm interested in all creativity. I myself have finished a kids book and a CD of Kids’ songs that’s packaged with a colouring book and tattos and glow-in-the-dark wrist band. Plus I've done an EP of more adult contemporary songs about wanderlust, love-soaked heartache and lullabies. Plus I'm currently working on a glow-in-the-dark play dough kind of product. I need to talk to all sorts of people to keep me interested.

If I'd niched niched niched I'd probably have a larger listenership but I've recently hit the 11,000 lifetime downloads mark (it’s actually 11,111 as I write this) so that’s not bad for a fairly non-specific podcast that, for the most part, comes out each Friday. I also have an odd format where I alternate weeks with interviews and short episodes. That is mostly because of the amount of time it takes to schedule, interview, edit and publish each episode. If you would like to help out by working with the guests to schedule their interviews I'd be so grateful. So, so grateful. Drop me a line at @SparkArtPodcast on twitter. It would be cool to get the show to a place where we could do an interview each Friday with the short episodes as Tuesday bonus episodes. If you could help that would be fantastic. Thanks.

So ... The podcast is fun, enlightening and invaluable to me but a fair amount of work. It allows me to meet and talk to awesome people who most likely have given me an hour of their time otherwise. And although I was scared of the initial foreverness of the whole endeavour, now that it’s going I don't see myself stopping anytime soon.

I guess what I’m saying is. Once you make a decision you don’t have to start immediately. But you do have to start. And whatever rules, limits or permissions you have to give yourself to get comfortable enough going - make them and get started.

Thanks for listening, for subscribing and for any iTunes reviews you have given or will give in the future. Also don’t forget to swing over to @SparkArtPodcast on twitter and say hi.

And remember: you won’t get the art without the work and you won’t do the work without the spark.